After 10 successful years building one of the largest business school brands and communities in the Middle East, the University has now formally renamed the Dubai centre as The University of Manchester Middle East Centre.
Professor Colin Bailey, Deputy President and Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University, made the original announcement about the Centre and the launch of a suite of new Masters programmes at a reception just before the 2016 graduation ceremony, hosted by the British Embassy in Dubai, which marked the 10th anniversary of the Middle East centre.
Professor Bailey said: “As an early entrant to the Dubai business education market and innovator of transnational education, Manchester Business School has forged strong relationships with the government, corporates and high profile educational partners in the region. We will build upon these links in support of our international strategy as we continue to further strengthen UAE-UK relationships through research, innovation and commercialisation.”
The Middle East centre is now working on plans to introduce industry-led Masters programmes to the region, alongside the Manchester Global Part-time MBA, and the executive education programmes. The first of these are the MSc Reliability Engineering and Asset Management, and MSc International Healthcare Leadership.
Professor Fiona Devine, Dean of Alliance Manchester Business School said: “We are delighted that the University recognises the high regard in which our Middle East Centre is held within the region and is building upon the excellent relationships that Centre Director, Randa Bessiso and her team have forged over the last 10 years.
“Our faculty are already in the region working with companies and sharing ideas, and the first new programmes are expected to go live by the end of 2017.”
Since launching in Dubai in 2006, the Middle East Centre at Dubai Knowledge Park has become into the largest and fastest-growing centre in the international network, which comprises six hubs in key business cities around the world. The Middle East Centre has supported more than 2,000 part-time MBA students based in the region and has graduated more than 1,000 students since opening.
The University of Manchester is currently delivering a £1 billion 10-year masterplan for its campus to create world-class facilities for staff, students and visitors. This includes the redevelopment of the Alliance Manchester Business School, the £350m Manchester Engineering Campus Development and the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC). Completed projects so far include the award-winning National Graphene Institute and The Whitworth Art Gallery.